Michael Roberts

Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Corporate Secretary

Located in Jacksonville, FL

For nearly 20 years, Roberts has represented Crowley on legal, regulatory and legislative issues. After several years of government service and private law practice in Washington, DC, Roberts joined the company in 1991 as a corporate counsel. He was promoted to vice president of government relations in 1994, a role he served until 2000.

The next nine years were spent in private practice in Washington, DC, most recently as a partner with Venable, LLP, one of The American Lawyer's top 100 law firms. While there, he represented Crowley and other clients involved in domestic and international trade and transportation. He returned to Crowley in September 2008 as senior vice president, general counsel, corporate secretary.

Roberts has assumed much of the legal, regulatory and legislative responsibilities for the company over the past two decades. These include laws governing the domestic trades, such as the Jones Act; maritime promotional programs, such as the Maritime Security Act; economic regulation of the shipping industry, such as the Ocean Shipping Reform Act and more. He has also managed Crowley’s political action committee, and helped to coordinate trade association work supporting the interests of the American maritime industry.

Roberts also taught business law as an adjunct professor at American University, Washington College of Law. He is a life member of the National Defense Transportation Association; a member of the Propeller Club of the United States (DC Board of Governors, 1994 to 2003); a member of the Maritime Administrative Bar Association (served as president from 1999 to 2000); a member of Coastwise Coalition (founding chairman) and a member of the Navy League of the United States.

Roberts has a Bachelor of Arts degree with high honors from Michigan State University, and a Juris Doctor degree cum laude from American University, Washington College of Law.

Roberts has overall responsibility for the legal, government relations and risk and insurance functions of the company. He supervises an in-house staff that includes many lawyers and other professionals, and manages the activities of outside counsel and consultants employed by the company.